and billions of dollars in the making a powerful new telescope is set to blast off into space. in about an hour scientist hope it will provide a view of a cause most never seen before. and in his annual christmas address, german president frank halter style meyer appeals to the population to show unity over the pandemic criticizing what he calls increasing open aggression. ah nick spicer, welcome to the program. a surgeon cove at 19 cases, driven by the on the crowd variant has been disrupting holiday travel plans all around the world. thousands of flights have been canceled globally because of the impact of the corona virus on airline employees and on passengers. despite this, people are trying their best to maintain the christmas spirit. twas the night before christmas. but instead of the usual last minute, christmas rush, the streets here in london have fallen silent. the u. k broke a record of code cases for the 3rd day in a row, recording about 122000 infections. numbers have climbed so high that some estimates predict one in 10 londoners have the infection. the surgeon cases has dampened the christmas cheer and left many industries struggling with staff shortages as sick workers. a forced to isolate it's a problem that has hit airlines, particularly hard flights around the world, had to be cancelled on christmas eve. adding another layer of stress to people's already precarious holiday plans. we were really concerned last night when i saw on the news that they had can thought a 100 white and i'm like, oh my god, we won't be able to get home. but luckily we kept checking the white bed a chicken white that has got here and everything was fine. so we were really grateful for that. in spain, you don't have to be traveling far to face disruptions to everyday life. just stepping outside your front door now means having to wear a mask. the prime minister announced the decision after 2 consecutive records in daily cases. it's come as an unwelcome surprise to many wears when the more when we got off the train and i saw every one wearing their mask. i remembered that it was the 1st day of the mandates and i thought what a drag again with the mask. it's a bit suffocating, a bit claustrophobic. i'm not very happy before we go. no, nothing were gone. linda glenora! though it may not be the coven free christmas, that so many had hoped for people a doing their best to make sure some of the festive spirit remains. and the pandemic featured prominently in german president frank volter star, admires annual christmas message. the acknowledged, some people were becoming increasingly frustrated, but appealed to germans to continue to respect each other. they also looked back at some of the key events of the year clearing the change of government here at home and the taliban takeover in afghanistan. 2021 has been an exhausting year for germany. on the political stage, the medical era ended and september the general election marked a turning point. the president's christmas message praised the democratic handover of power in what he called an atmosphere of mutual respect. but it was also the year when the taliban swept to power across afghanistan, bringing postwar germany the largest overseas military operation to an aim. western forces pulled back and the buddhist van flew home to many. it looked like failure. stein my acknowledge that as well as other clouds on the international horizon, the ones of as low da da. we remember our soldiers who returned home from afghanistan and also the people who have remained there amid suffering and starvation. we are concerned by the news we have from many regions of our turbulent world, also, and particularly from eastern europe as the author. but the president's message, as is traditional, was also one of hope. he praised the solidarity people show during the severe some of floods in germany, especially the volunteers who helped with the clean up, gave money and time. so the rebuilding could begin. as the year ends, the coven, 19 crises, still looms over national life. protests against government rules have fled off across germany. but stein maya said, even from the pandemic, positive lessons could be learned. this proven, we say by 2 years, frustration is growing irritability and widespread. we're increasingly seeing alienation and regrettably open aggression is true that in a democracy we do not all have to be of the same opinion. but i appeal to you to remember this. we are one country on the pandemic is over. we need still to be able to look one another in the eye. and when the pandemic is over, we still want to live with each other. on the me know for mitten, under his address, the president even posed a philosophical question. what is freedom? he suggested it sometimes means accepting restrictions in order to help others. that notion of solidarity and sacrifice may be needed still in the year ahead. and for war on this, the spring ended of your political course or around your child's home early for the 2nd time in a presidential address for polish tremor has of course focused on corona virus. not surprisingly, also cultural, cohesion and solidarity is that a reflection of the national mood? somehow that appeal? exactly. he really emphasize both the responsibility of the state to protected citizens, including in times of pandemic. but he also highlighted the duty of citizens to also take their own responsibilities. i think that was the main message and during his address, he also talked about other things that were very significant this year in germany. germany has been to a lot and not on either pandemic. there were the catastrophe, floods or december, which caused nearly 200 people. their lives are mostly in western germany. there was also to fall off kabul to the hands of the taliban, which are, was also a very big news here in germany. you know, german. so these had their biggest deployments since world war 2 in afghanistan that also suffered heavy losses for the german army. and of course, a lot of afghans who had the german army also lost their lives. at that moment, 10000 afghans were evacuated, another 15000. they're still waiting evacuation by germany. so does were the biggest or themes addressed by the president in history, and is it safe to say that code has caused a big rift in the country? yes or no? yes, there is a devise in the society birds? no, in the sense that is not as, as bad as it might seem when you see parties gathering thousands of people. yes, it is 1000 thousands of people, but india address hang valdosta. mia also said that the vast majority of the germans were actually supporting governments measures to try and tackle the pandemic, such as for example, vaccination. maybe let's have a listen to what he has to say on that topic. when the start of our surgeon's ogre father live, when labels on a burger, so shoots an epa. gov to d competent and business after the outstanding on figure. the unfortunate follow ordinance have to admit abandoned m done z other to near best us. when z our la given annoy, candidness, call the given and these accounts fights are visa hub. when passing mass nomine on mentioned, can even salonen of all how much of all the people have actually had a fighting this pandemic. and also called for every peasant to take their own responsibility over this christmas season. yeah, so sort of helping explain what the government is doing and i guess calling for patients in a sense of minutia or political porter. thanks so much that inside side to say, there has never been anything like it. a revolutionary new telescope is set to blast off into space, and just to under it, i'm sorry, in just over an hour. now, the james webb's telescope, named after the former head of nasa, is expected to be back new clues about the origins of the universe. mm. the new i in the sky is the successor to the legendary hubble space telescope. it's 6 and a half me to mirror makes the hubble look tiny by comparison. the james webb, the biggest telescope ever sent into space, is made up of 18 segments plated with a raise, a thin gold coating. the instrument has to be folded up to fit into the rockets nose cone. the telescope will scan the heavens using long wave infra red light. ah, astronomers will be able to look back towards the big bang, nearly 14000000000 years ago. back to the origins of the universe and the formation of the 1st stars and galaxies. the new telescope could also prove decisive in the search for extraterrestrial life who it can probe, so called exile planets. nearly 5000 have already been discovered orbiting distant sons. the james web will monitor how exxon planets move in conjunction with the stars. transits like this mean it can take a virtual fingerprint of the atmosphere of these remote worlds and assess for the 1st time whether they hold the building blocks of life. before the research can begin, there will be a delicate 2 week operation in which the telescope has to unfold itself. never before has a satellite been launched with so many moving parts and nothing can be allowed to go wrong. it will be 6 months after the launch before the telescope is ready to gather it's 1st scientific data. ah incredible christmas present for astronomers around the world. and for more or less it's cross over to keith cowan. he's in the editor of space ref dot com. join just washington. what does it nasa and the european canadian space agencies hope to gain from this $10000000000.00 project? well, like any you telescope that you put into space, the idea is you're sending, you're spending the time and the money in this case, quite a bit to put a very complex machine out beyond her sat mr. from the simple reason for sat was fear, blocks your ability to really see the true nature, what is out there. so right off the bat, you're seeing things in space. you really can't see commer. this is a, this device though, is design such that he can purposefully look back at the earliest moments of the formation of the universe. and as was mentioned in your set a piece, i do a 1st room reconnoiter of all these worlds. we've discovered around the star, so it's so there's something in this mission for everybody in it's going to be a nice 10 or more year ride as we make all these discovers. and it's been dubbed hubble 2 point. oh, i can remember when hobble was launched 30 years ago and everybody was excited about the pictures and sent back never before seen images. what will james webb be able to do that? hubble could not. well, it in some ways ill actually work with hobble, if humble, still operating so will be it will have tandem a spacecraft looking at different wavelengths, but out what web can do other than fact, it looks in the long infrared, which is a region hovel, really doesn't spend a lot of time on that word, so it's just a larger telescope. so it has a wider field of view and is able to see far just as, as a telescope. so in calling it whole 2 point oh is, i guess is appropriate in that it's the next big telescope. we've had a lot of big telescope since humble, but if you want to call it hubble, to what the 2 point. oh, i'm not going to argue with you about that. okay. i appreciate that to tell us it plays, if you would, and without judging anybody's, you know, seriousness or, or hard work, wanted to take 30 years in the making. well, in back me, i have a book that is called thus space telescope. when i bought it a bookstore 980 here in washington, and it was the basic discussion of what would become hubble. and if you read through this, they say, well, some of the other things that we could do and follow on telescopes. so a lot of these complex things do take a long time 1st, yet to come up with the idea that you have to convince people spend millions of dollars on it. and then of course, it goes over budget, you have to keep going back to congress to say, please, please give us more money. so these things are often called flag ships in that they are almost once in a generation things. and, you know, right now, things like this cost a lot of money and it takes a lot of time. and then once they're operational, people are going to do. there are people who don't devote their entire career, just this one telescope. so, you know, it's a big undertaking. that's why everybody's excited and nervous today. hey, and we'll be, follow it closely for our viewers here on the w. keith calling editor at spacecraft dot com. thanks so much for that. the pleasure. you're watching dw news. that's your update this hour coming up next after a short break reporter. this time about intimacy between people with intellectual disability. i'm expired. george. ah. ah, what secrets lie behind these was discovered new adventures in 360 degrees. and explore fascinating world heritage sites. d, w. world heritage. $360.00, get the out now. ah, the fight against the corona virus pandemic now has the rate of infection in developing what measures are being taken? what does the latest research say? information and context with the corona virus updated the cobra gene special monday to friday on d. w. mm. mm. ah abena, susan, house and helmet. hermann, are a couple constantine close is really keen to find a companion. nothing out of the ordinary yet often still the exception for people with intellectual disabilities at this supported housing project in long and hard and love and sex aren't brushed under the carpet. relationships are no problem here . the ones the all we want to help them find people, they feel happy with our people, they can share their lives with what's off and tad lu elsewhere is openly discussed here. ah, my mama, i z b newfound house and hamlet hammond, enjoy each other's company listening. yeah. would you like something to drink to some lift her here all drinking coffee together and chatting since meeting a few years ago. the 60 year old pensioner is have been a couple. it was at the retiree group. i know her, but anna at the retiree group. i, when i spoke to her. yeah, yes. we have. i spoke to her and i said yes, i'd like that and making yes was out. he wants us to be together. and i said me too . oh, yeah, i asked if you had a boyfriend. no, i didn't have one anymore. the other one died on stuck to the other of it. when i heard about it, i was in shock that he died. the other one that they're not lazy dot. i had to get over that 1st. i bet then i got together with him would . sabina lives in a group home, but she spends as much time as she can with harold. he has his own apartment and a lot of determination. lucille, you have to decide for yourself what you want from life. that's how you move forward. yes, i know with your older young you want things out of life. yes, i know. well, i like to live it up a little me till i while half i've got the power. well, you have to take what life gives you help. that's what you do, go well together, you feel good when we're here to get that done. you a born i and i am at home. i'm not as happy call there been a lives with a small group at the supported housing facility. there are a total of $106.00 residents. up to 7 people share an apartment. some need more support than others. there are care providers on hand around the clock, just in case constantine clueless often feels bored. he's $32.00 and he'd really love to have a partner. well, whole lot. i had several girlfriends at school. a little not one after the other model once on mar. did that work out? well? yeah, yeah. when it was funny, sometimes see how the girls fought over me. tom? oh, it's my boyfriend. that's my boyfriend. that's my boyfriend. constantine was hit by a car when he was 10. since then he's been disabled. he says he goes to work. his job is in logistics. but otherwise, he's at home a lot alone. oh, the mom, most of them don't want me was the although in the past when i left school, women weren't interested in the family and they would rather be 51 soccer pitches away from me. man fan one m go by, it's on the 1st of the bidder. and will slow my ling just think how big a soccer pitch is is one of constantine's housemaids is last. novak last is engaged and has been for a while at some point, constantine decided he'd had enough of being alone and started looking for a girl friend guy flor thank flint ill. i want to have 6 with there as well. does is if yo who ma, it's only human mentally have you had sex before you are here for the money. hm. and the, i can't remember who with through several the voice, they wanted me honey. and they got me and what was it like oh yeah. all oh good, yes. ah . ah, when you spend the night it's a been is do you cuddle? yes. do you share a bad now? yes. yes. how is it? we have to so i got to bed and then bedroom is yeah, double lansing knob. as we know, we lock the door so that no one comes in a vacant. yes. some people come into our room. that's annoying. it is much when i want to be alone with her mode. i the others come in. oh i. so i said leave us be what's my to please? i don't want that as something's private, does a boundary. they should keep too expensive. yeah. and i so i don't go around walk into other rooms. not everyone does me. nobody, they don't understand, don't. they've got quite serious disability. friendship love, sex. normal things often denied people with disabilities, but not here says flow he and cooney from the lung and hack residential care facility. and they are often hide div. yeah, i think this open minded approach of ours is a step ahead of other organizations like ah, the approach benefits couples like sabine and helmet, who enjoy their life together just like to day at hanover zoo light. if you keep animals, you've got to know what you're doing as far as needs, know what they're doing. i know those are the big ones. i know if you're with your car, yes. i sure wasn't quite, isn't it? that he thought it was like at home. it's nice and peaceful there too. ah, where the people around no man's was off. makes it easy to relax. so are you to engaged now? no, we just together. bike helmet hasn't wanted to yet tyranny. he hasn't talked about engagement. it has to come from hell mode. me, but would you like to go? yeah, yes. if hamilton would allow a law, what happens when i'm gone? well, you'd still have the ring home and what will you do then rustling? oh, oh, oh, no time said what i can still take. the ring opted along and have it as a keepsake alma. ah, do need me when you're not around anymore. i can put the ring in a drawer. keep it as a momento. that's also a possibility. that gig oh yes, here didn't you notice her before? i know she looks pretty pretty on the car. my carty government, i'd like to take her in my arms and hug her and kiss her again. nice and juicy. little with tongues. constantine close is browsing an online dating platform one for people with disabilities. hello, support worker mary gaf is helping him out. you could start by asking her how she is doing. yeah. oh yes. hey, that's a good idea. of him. the wolf of it went on from home all covered with the food. the food for long constantine's profile describes his ideal woman quite specifically. ne oh hm. order. oh boy, no smoking or drinking? we are controlled. open to kissing and cuddling coin lay friendly and funny. and laughing likes to laugh right. i don't think you specify anything else for sure. you can. some way you can specify the woman's age constantine, sense cartier, message. he's already exchanged messages with several women, but it's never gone beyond virtual contact. i actually met in person. well, how should i put it? no, the what a shame you're yeah for sure. maybe it'll work out with county. yes. maybe it'll work out. oh 1st i hope it does. it. but in the water. now they're both eating in the water by just now this they want to have it. i must look he's going at it. yes. i know. there is no, he's not full yet. why? yes, i know not to there to do that. oh yes, i know. one when she was younger, sabina thought about having children of her own, but she was repeatedly told it wasn't possible me if i have a disability, how disney my, my sister said it wouldn't be good up. word doc would is i can't read or write. i couldn't teach the child anything. it's misled. busy and i'm a bit sad. yes. no. i would like to have kids, you know, but i'm also afraid i wouldn't manage up. yeah. go come, you can't always choose mother to accept things as they are. it's also okay without a child. oh, love my love i what's to come at the care home in london. harden with as constantine here from katy. what's new with take? lashona man advised no buck. the bed. a fellow part. yeah, exactly. and what's being discussed in the sex and love group ah find out next time. ah ah, ah, when she is conducting back now, she says she can feel the n banning ethan ah. saline invites very fast women on the venerable conduct. a story of courage, strength and skill meet them. i marked 21 from them. next on d, w with true hero, wor, socialists, construct homo soviet to coast was an ideal in the soviet union. millions were educated, according to this archetype. that after the collapse of the eastern block, it disappeared, or did it pomo soviet to cause a soviet state of mind. i am 45 minutes on d. w. every journey begins with the 1st step. and every language with the 1st word college pinnacle rico is in germany to learn german. why not learn with him a simple online on your mobile and free to shop. d w e learning course, nikos vague german made easy. ah, ah, you can't hesitate. you have to do it. ah, the invent things these jack system than the slim been. these are life's most powerful moment. what is it? it's like sport that if you don't keep raising the bar, don't never be a champion. jim deal with ah and in a it's a feeling of finally. finally, it's happening, my sister and i've known about it for so long since 2018, not from then monday gun said that i've been anticipating it all the time. preparing, preparing, preparing. was this at some point it has to happen. so sometimes i know growth and i feel such a great energy accumulating go well, yes. hi. this is what's amazing is getting to just focus on the piece on the music group. when was the m, the one for the bill? ah ah, june 2021. by voice i made asana lynn if 5 weeks before the premier on the famous green hill. i want to find out about this young conduct, his journey from her ukrainian hometown to buy a voice where she has made history as the 1st woman to conduct at the festival. it's clear that she lives and breeds music of all types away from the classical stage. she loves cuban sounds. today her career has well and truly taken flights. her international stock came with the buyers just autopay in 2013. she began as an assistant but ended up holding the baton herself and dazzling audiences. she went on to be chief conductor in graz, austria then came the munich philharmonic, the shots capella 1000000000, and from 2020 debuts in vienna, paris, and bolona. and in the fall of 2021, the berlin philharmonic. but taking to the conduct his podium at the legendary by white festival is probably her biggest challenge yet. ah losses. you got the iconic festival theses behind you. is like, wagner is breathing down your neck. is that a bowden or a pleasure noodles, like mass mazique is love dessie. so i think wagner's music is like a powerful drug. i love. and then once you've tried it and you're going to miss it, done for me, one that's fun's, alixia is habit. i was a guy that works. i my, i rode on facebook. that when you conduct fac, now you feel like the air is burning under your hand. and in the loop on dunden hen . oh oh, oh ok, son a linea attracts a huge interest on social media. the fact a woman is conducting a bi hoyt is obviously going to attract a lot of attention. so the yet if our lead human, not the unsung was on this for every woman, it's difficult to assert yourself at the beginning. it's one of the file on that. but this feels like a totally different time now united not be and maybe it's also important for me to be an example for other i for the future. was it hopefully a positive example var just to see it, but the fact that i'm a woman doesn't make the fleet to holland a score any easier or harder for oh, i diff leak into hollander or the flying dutchman is familiar to asana, lynn. if this isn't the 1st time she's conducted it, wagner wrote his romantic opera as an unknown young composer following a stormy sea voyage. it shows his guiding themes already beginning to resonate, such as the longing for death and redemption. ah, the 2nd year he said, and composing the 1st true german opera with the flying dutchman durham, you can really feel the outrage in 4th. and the 1st courts, if the overture empty, he really pulled out all the stops on it at ocean. and those waves represented exactly what he felt, ah, ah, a change of scene, this is odessa on the black sea, one of ukraine's largest cities. it's the spring of 2021. ok, san allin, if always enjoys visiting the city. it's a place where she can relax and concentrate on her work, and it's where her rise as a maestro began in the upper house, i watch over her sing, chikavsky, eugene on agin, she's highly concentrated, authoritative, and clear about what she demands from her musicians. she knows what she wants and she gets it setup. mm. not the person that awesome don martin told the woman that all them. e and ross exxon that walk santa is very charismatic. passionate george, i'm shocked. how much energy she has and it's always very inspiring. you buy a food for rational dumler style or badger the she, if she had that it's never intimidating because her demands as a conductor, are justified. she demands things in the name of music and art. so they can't be any anxiety or fear, bye as a new modem, which ah, it's me nifty, it's extra. i don't want to seem overly harsh, but this is a leadership position because i knew it was a joke. i got the highest the if that means i say what i want to, but i also bear the responsibility for making it work also does is folks there at near her determination to progress persevere and pushed the envelope has helped her on her journey towards by hoyt she's also gained from having a mental like hero per trend co, the current head of the belinda, philip monica, and formerly chief conductor of the virus is start so pale function is that then go from the smile i learned the most from carole potential. even though we hardly ever talked about conducting itself. tiffany: i practically never had any instructions from him on it. lava thus owns it. okay. i think we worked so well together because i could already understand his styled on and how he wants to hear the orchestra in here. oh ok. santa lynn, if was also the 1st female conductor at the odessa upper house responsibility suit, sir. ah, this is news on these d 2, it's important to me that things should function as i imagined them on van at bus, albany solo. so the nation, if that is not the case, then there have to be good reasons and to have to find new compromises. donnelly's he had lawyer compromised 11. not always easy. yeah. okay, lynn, if shows us one of her favorite places. oh, the beach. she used to come here as a child with her parents, and rather than do ma'am, when you swim in the sea and you feel that you are a part of the breathing of the universe. awesome day when you vassal design on leave of. i love it when there are big ways to let in the redlands waves and wind rise though begin there. that's how deaf he can to holland up begins. it's 5 and this in this on. but the whistling of the wind and strong dangerous waves should valenda. ah, wagner is ever present with lynn if wherever she is wagner miss zayden backed out with his ideas, his unbelievable energy like that of a titan and his reform of opera. vincent. well, i've the whole art. the whole history whole fight. he put opera on a whole new track, the late past. she is fascinated by history and politics just a few days earlier in t if on the central square all my done. it was clear that the conductor is a ukrainian patriot, with clear ideas about her country's relationship with russia. at the end of 2013 hundreds of thousands demonstrated here against the government's decision to turn away from the european union. they called for the resignation of president victor, yet had coverage who had close ties with russia. the protests continued and in february 2014, over 100 people were killed by security forces with live ammunition. it came as a shock, lynn. it was in munich at the time. that's why these it, that there was one day, i remember very well lies assistant and i'd been appointed assistant conductor of carroll pitch franco. and i saw this terrible pictures on the internet to see me like, is it possible that students do that all these victims? i vicki at deborah just put in his church and covered with white sheets on one hot . and it was impossible to believe that something like this was possible in the middle of europe, during peacetime, on the edge of the square lineage reflects on the victims and the seemingly endless conflict that has divided ukraine to her. standing by and not doing anything isn't an option god, normally i do something with cultural projects, for example, by founding a youth orchestra. when you get this my mind, that was my idea from 2017 at this yoga, and i'm going to unite the use of ukraine. it east and west africa in a body of sound and to form a new family in a united ukraine lawyer emilia death. i need the debt. okay. units of brendan ah ah ah ah. about 470 kilometers west of key if lies live. it's where asana lynn. if studied, the conflict with russia has also taken its toll here. oh, oh. lynn if want us to shoot in a garrison church and made the military chaplain todd ash. michel shook who commemorated those who had fallen with. ready he couldn't hear that. he stood and we could really feel and see with our eyes what war really, if i look and then all these objects weapon part there, from the front line, from from head to colman. he eccles wyatt's idea. the lady fawn here. you can see the gathering of portraits of children who have lost their parents on the fact that their fathers in the war he has, they had so much been gets even and mighty. and that i at the 3 year old called maria has written my father's in heaven. my dear father, where are you? i want to be in your arms and want to go to you. oh, oh, the greek and the fun when the war began in 2014, the children from one of the primary schools here made these white dobbs out of paper. i spoke a month.